Warner Bros. has raised significant concerns about a racial slur directed at the stars of 'Sinners' during the BAFTA Film Awards, demanding that the incident be removed from the BBC broadcast. According to a well-placed source, Warner Bros. executives immediately complained to BAFTA upon hearing John Davidson's use of the N-word, a verbal tic associated with his Tourette syndrome. The studio was assured that their concerns would be relayed to the BBC and producer Penny Lane TV during the ceremony's recording, which was broadcast with a two-hour delay. However, this account raises questions about the BBC and Penny Lane's version of events, which claimed producers in the gallery were unaware until it was too late, resulting in the outburst directed at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo being screened on BBC One. BAFTA insiders confirmed that conversations with Warner Bros. took place, but the organization declined to comment on whether Warner Bros.' concerns were relayed to the BBC and Penny Lane. On Monday, BAFTA issued an apology for the 'very offensive language' during the event, accepting full responsibility for putting guests in a difficult situation. Yet, the statement failed to address why the racial slur wasn't excised from the BBC broadcast. Penny Lane declined to comment, but sources support the production company's stance that the crew in the gallery did not hear Davidson's outburst. Warner Bros., however, remains skeptical of the BBC and Penny Lane's explanation, considering it inadequate given the gravity of the concerns raised that night. Sources in the Royal Festival Hall auditorium reported that Davidson's interruption was clearly audible, questioning why an urgent message wasn't sent to the gallery. A senior independent producer stated that it's impossible for the BBC or BAFTA to claim that no one in the room mentioned the incident to them in the two hours between the incident and its airing. Warner Bros. continued to contact BAFTA throughout the evening, bringing attention to other instances involving Davidson, including unintentional comments made to 'Sinners' production designer Hannah Beachler. After the awards, executives confronted BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip and chair Sara Putt at the post-show dinner. On Monday morning, as BAFTA drafted a statement, Warner Bros. resumed contact, and sought talks with the BBC regarding the N-word incident remaining on iPlayer. The BBC eventually removed the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer at 11:30 AM on Monday, nearly 15 hours after the initial broadcast, and made edits to the tape. In a statement, a BBC spokesperson acknowledged the offensive language, attributing it to involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and apologized for not editing it out before broadcast. The BBC is under pressure from British lawmakers to explain how the racial slur was broadcast, even if it wasn't clearly audible, with Labour MP Dawn Butler demanding transparency.
